The staging area at Kingsley Reservoir has been open for a couple of weeks, but the campground is not open yet.  Hood River County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says the loss of some of their seasonal employees has led to the delay in the campground opening, but he does hope it can still open before the season ends.  Hecksel notes those who visit Kingsley now will see a much different place than before reservoir expansion took place. The area has been rebuilt with more amenities for the present-day camper.

Football

Hood River Valley 38, The Dalles 12

Stevenson 13, Columbia 0

Elgin 52, Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat 0

Seton Catholic 39, Goldendale 20

Boys Soccer

Hood River Valley 2, The Dalles 1

Trout Lake 8, Irrigon 4

Girls Soccer

Trout Lake 8, Irrigon 0

Stevenson 1, Goldendale 0

Trout Lake 4, Umatilla 1

Volleyball

South Wasco def. Joseph 25-16, 27-25, 26-24

Sherman def. Wallowa 12-25, 21-25, 25-15, 27-25, 15-12

Columbia def. Goldendale 3-1

Sherman went 3-0 at Helix Tournament

A fire in Klickitat County on Friday afternoon burned about 700 acres. The fire was reported in grass just after noon on Friday just north of Highway 14 junction with Highway 97. It quickly went over Rattlesnake Road, and moved toward Wishram. Firefighters were able to stop its forward progress, get it lined, and bring it under control within a few hours. The Washington Department of Natural Resources, Rural 7 Fire District, Goldendale and Centerville fire departments, and a rapid response team from Snohomish County that had been stationed in the area were involved in the response to the fire.

Hood River County has closed all of its forest trails to motorized use until further notice. The east wind event that is underway led to the decision. It is expected to bring dry conditions with low humidity…poor overnight humidity recovery…and strong winds…exacerbating already existing conditions where fires can establish and grow quickly. No campfires are allowed on Hood River County forestlands…and state law requires passenger vehicles to carry a shovel and a gallon of water to be fire safe in the woods.

Volleyball

Hood River Valley def. Parkrose 21-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 16-14

The Dalles def. Pendleton 25-9, 25-22, 25-13

Klickitat-Glenwood def. Horizon Christian 25-19, 25-19, 25-20

Klickitat-Glenwood def. Columbia JV 25-16, 25-22, 20-25, 20-25, 15-11

Columbia JV def. Horizon Christian 25-14, 25-14, 25-12

Goldendale def. Tri-Cities Prep 3-1

  Girls Soccer

The Dalles 2, Hood River Valley 0

Columbia 6, Goldendale 0

Hudson’s Bay 5, Stevenson 0

  Football

Crane 38, Dufur 8

  Cross Country

The Dalles took the top three places in the boys’ race as the Riverhawks topped Estacada at The Dalles Country Club.  Juan Diego Contreras was the winner, followed by Leo Lemann and Egan Ziegenhagen.  Alaina Casady won the girls’ race, as Estacada did not field a complete team.

 

Wasco County Commissioners conducted the first reading of an ordinance to define outdoor mass gatherings requiring a permit as 500 people or more.  Currently, outdoor mass gatherings are defined as any event in rural Wasco County.  County Planning Director Kelly Howsley-Glover says currently the requirements for a permit can be unclear, and this will attempt to streamline that process.  She adds the ordinance is based on state law, but there are two areas where the County made changes, one of which is using the 500 person cap rather than the state’s number of 3,000, and the other is for fire safety.  The ordinance is scheduled for a second reading at the County Commission’s September 21 meeting.

A campaign is underway over the next two months to provide information on solar energy in Hood River County.  Solarize Hood River County is being led by a coalition of organizations including The Next Door, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, Solar Oregon, the Hood River County Energy Council, and Energy Trust of Oregon.  The campaign, which runs through October 31, will provide a series of free educational workshops on solar and solar plus battery storage systems, and Hood River County residents who choose to “go solar” during the campaign period will qualify for a discount.  Participants will be connected with pre-qualified contractors.  Find more information about the campaign and how to get involved on the Solarize Hood River, go to bit.ly/hrcsolarize.  

A revamp of the Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency’s new grant program for property owners and tenants in downtown The Dalles wishing to improve their properties, buildings, and tenant spaces is already showing signs of receiving interest.  The Dalles Interim Community Development Director Joshua Chandler says they are already processing some applications, currently working with four property owners on mainly smaller projects.  The URA board recently refreshed the grant program to include higher award caps and a streamlined process.  Information is available on the City of The Dalles’ website.

A celebration of Columbia Gorge Community College’s Regional Skills Center and Chinook Residence Hall will take place on Saturday at the school’s campus in The Dalles.  The facilities opened a year ago, but a public celebration of its opening had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  CGCC Capital Projects and Community Relations Director Dan Spatz says it will be an opportunity for the public to see the facilities up close.  Speakers during the 9:30 ceremony include Wasco County Commissioner Scott Hege, The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays, and CGCC board president Tim Arbogast.  Guided tours will be available from 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hood River Shelter Services and Mid-Columbia Community Action Council have entered into an alliance to allow for continued operations of the 24-bed pallet shelter in Hood River this winter.  Under the alliance, Community Action will take over as the lead on operations of the shelter while Shelter Services will continue to play a front and center role in volunteer coordination and providing access to high quality food for the shelter clients.  For the past few winters, Community Action has provided Shelter Services with a large share of the funding needed for warming shelter operations in Hood River.  The Hood River pallet shelter site is at 1733 Oak Street, and includes a sanitation trailer with restrooms, showers, and laundry facilities, and other on-site social services through Mid-Columbia Center For Living, One Community Health, and the Bridges to Health Pathways program.